"I need to check if so chats and a voice recording are real or fake," Adriana said, handing over her phone.
The man nodded and sat down in front of a big computer. He connected her phone with a cable and clicked around quickly.
Adriana waited nervously, chewing the edge of her lip.
After about 30 minutes, the man turned to her.
"These are real," he said. "The ssages weren’t edited. The voice recording has no cuts or changes either."
Adriana felt like she had been punched in the stomach.
It was all true.
Everything Adeline said was real.
She stepped outside the shop, the sunlight too bright for her teary eyes.
She leaned against a wall and hugged herself. Her chest felt tight.
How could I have been so stupid? she thought. I loved a monster.
But Adriana wasn’t the kind of person to just sit and cry.
She pulled out her phone again and called a private investigator she had once worked with on a story.
"Mr. Kang," she said, her voice firm but tired, "I need your help. I need you to investigate a man nad Henry. I want to know everything. Bank records, his past, his family... especially what happened between him and a girl nad Adeline."
The investigator agreed, and they set a eting for later.
Just as Adriana was about to head ho, her phone rang again.
The caller ID showed Henry.
Adriana stared at it. Her finger hovered over the screen.
Should I answer? she thought.
Finally, she pressed the green button and lifted the phone to her ear.
But it wasn’t Henry’s voice.
It was a girl. Her voice was soft, weak, and choked with tears.
"Is this... Adriana?" the girl asked.
"Yes?" Adriana said carefully.
"I’m Lucy... Henry’s sister."
Adriana’s stomach dropped. Sothing felt wrong.
Lucy’s voice trembled as she said, "Please... can you co? Henry is in the hospital. He... he might not make it."
Adriana’s eyes widened. "What do you an?"
Lucy sniffed.
"Last night... Adeline attacked him. When she found out he didn’t break up with you, she went mad. My brother... he’s badly hurt.
We don’t even have enough money for his treatnt. Please, you were close to him... Can you co see him? Maybe for the last ti...?"
Adriana stood frozen on the sidewalk.
What?
Adeline attacked Henry?
That didn’t make sense. She had seen Adeline—beaten, bruised, barely able to move.
Sothing wasn’t right.
But Adriana didn’t say anything about that.
She just asked in a calm voice, "Which hospital is he in?"
Lucy gave her the na. Adriana ended the call and looked up at the sky.
.......................................
The hospital room was quiet, with sunlight peeking through the white curtains. The TV in the corner was turned off, and the sll of disinfectant filled the air.
On the hospital bed, Henry sat up comfortably.
He was peeling an orange and popping pieces into his mouth like he was on vacation, not in the hospital.
His right arm was wrapped in a thick white cast—but it looked a little too clean, too perfect.
Sitting nearby, Lucy was biting her nails nervously.
"Did she agree to co?" Henry asked with a lazy smile.
Lucy nodded slowly. "Yeah. She asked for the hospital na. She’s probably on her way now."
Henry grinned and tossed an orange peel into the trash can by the bed.
"Perfect."
Just then, the door opened, and a man in a white coat walked in.
He was young, around Henry’s age. He looked more like a college student than a real doctor.
"Yo, Dr. Chen," Henry called out casually, "you rember the plan, right?"
Dr. Chen glanced at Lucy and gave a small nod. He closed the door behind him.
"Yeah, I rember. I say he needs surgery. Real bad. $50,000, right?"
Henry smiled and held up a finger.
"Not just that. Make it sound scary. Use big words. Sothing like—’internal bleeding,’ or ’spinal fracture,’ or sothing. Make her panic. Got it?"
Dr. Chen rolled his eyes but nodded. "Fine. What if she asks for proof? Or like... a receipt or a second opinion?"
Henry chuckled.
"Then just act confused. Say you mixed up with another Henry. There’s gotta be at least three Henrys in this place. Play dumb. You’re good at that."
Dr. Chen frowned. "Not funny."
Henry shrugged.
"I’m serious. If she sends the money, we split it. Seventy for , thirty for you. Easy deal. We just need to get her to believe I’m dying or sothing."
Lucy looked uncomfortable. She stared at her hands and didn’t say anything.
Henry looked at her and smiled sweetly.
"Hey, don’t worry, Lucy. Once I get the money, I will buy the three bags you were eyeing for so long."
The hesitation on Lucy’s face vanished, and she smiled,
"Alright. I will give my best performance."
Henry leaned back against the pillows, looking relaxed.
"Now we wait," he said. "She’ll be here soon. Ti to put on my best dying-man face."
Adriana walked quickly down the hospital hallway.
When she reached the room number Lucy had given her, she paused outside the door and took a deep breath. Then, slowly, she opened it.
Henry was lying on the bed, his arm in a thick cast, and Lucy was sitting beside him. They both looked up as she walked in.
"Adriana!" Lucy jumped up and ran to her. Her eyes were red like she had been crying all night. She grabbed Adriana’s hands tightly. "Thank you for coming."
Adriana looked over at Henry, who was now lying very still, like he were in pain.
"What... happened?" Adriana asked, her voice quiet.
Lucy sniffled and wiped her eyes.
"It was Adeline... last night. She found out Henry didn’t break up with you. She got mad—really mad. She ca with her bodyguards."
Adriana blinked. "Bodyguards?"
"Yes," Lucy nodded. "They dragged Henry out of the apartnt. I tried to stop them, but they pushed too. Then... they beat him up. Badly."
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